Coffee stop leads Ark. police to cocaine arrest

Sunday

Nov 30, 2008 at 3:15 AM

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) _ Arkansas sheriff's deputies say they arrested a Benton County man needing a little bit more of a boost to go with his morning coffee.

Deputies say Basil Taysir Khatib parked next to their unmarked cruiser Tuesday outside of a Starbucks in Bentonville. Deputies say they saw Khatib take a sniff of a white substance off of a small spoon before going inside the coffee shop.

The deputies confronted Khatib, who initially denied the substance was cocaine. Later, deputies say he admitted to taking the drug and allowed deputies to search his car. The deputies say they found three grams of suspected cocaine in the vehicle and on Khatib.

Khatib faces charges of possession of a controlled substance and was taken to the Benton County Jail. He was later released from custody on a citation.